Juicy, flavorful Turkey Breast made in the Instant Pot. Perfect for weeknights or holidays, this Thanksgiving feast is now a year-round dish ready in no time at all.
For quick and easy holiday side dishes be sure to try our Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole recipe! You can also make potatoes in the Instant Pot!
Holiday Dinner Recipe
Making a traditional Thanksgiving turkey in the oven is great for some families, but sometimes you just can’t. Or won’t. Or don’t want to.
Sometimes you want turkey without all the fuss, but still have all the flavor.
You may have already seen or tried my Crock Pot Turkey Breast recipe…which is amazing and cooks up with the Stuffing on top!
Today’s turkey breast recipe is cooked in the Instant Pot.
If you haven’t yet purchased the Instant Pot…do it. Not only does it make delicious pot roast and easy Instant Pot dinners…but my Instant Pot cheesecake is amazing.
I also wouldn’t ever go back to boiling my hard boiled eggs ever again.
But, back to today’s turkey.
You’ll love this juicy, moist turkey breast that’s ready in under an hour, complete with gravy made from the drippings! Ready to start?
How to Make Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
STEP 1. Season thawed turkey breast with garlic, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add olive oil to instant pot and turn on “SAUTE.”
Sear turkey breast about 4 minutes per side. Remove from Instant Pot and immediately add chicken broth.
Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Not only do the browned bits add flavor to the gravy, but scraping them off the bottom will prevent the “BURN” notice.
STEP 2. Place whole turkey breast on trivet and lower into the instant pot (with the broth still in the bottom). Add 2 Tbsp cubed butter to the Instant Pot.
Secure the lid and turn on “HIGH PRESSURE” for a cook time of 30 minutes.
When cook time ends, allow to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
STEP 3. First, check the internal temperature of the turkey using a meat thermometer. It should read 165 degrees F.
Next, remove the turkey and trivet and set on cutting board.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Add to broth and select “SAUTE.”
Add in heavy cream and cook until desired thickness for gravy, whisking continuously.
STEP 4. Slice turkey breast and serve over rosemary sprigs with fresh pomegranate for a beautiful presentation!
What to serve with Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Whether you’re making this for a weeknight meal, or you need some Thanksgiving side dishes, you’ll love all these easy ideas.
- Mashed Potatoes– baked in the oven while your turkey is in the Instant Pot. Ready in no time.
- Sweet Potato Casserole (with pecans) or Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Stuffing Recipe
- Green Bean Casserole– or Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole
- Dinner Rolls
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pie Bundt Cake
How to use Leftover Turkey
If you find yourself with leftover turkey breast on Thanksgiving (or any weeknight), you can use it in place of most recipes that call for cooked chicken.
Make a big pan of this delicious Turkey Tetrazzini!
Whether you want to make a batch of these Turkey Cheddar Sliders with homemade cranberry sauce, or whip up some Turkey Noodle Soup, the sky is the limit.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Apple Crisp
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
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Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 lb boneless turkey breast thawed
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons cold water
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Season thawed turkey breast with garlic, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add olive oil to instant pot and turn on "SAUTE."
- Sear turkey breast about 4 minutes per side. Remove from Instant Pot and immediately add chicken broth.
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Place whole turkey breast on trivet and lower into the instant pot (with the broth still in the bottom). Add 2 Tbsp cubed butter to the Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid and turn on "HIGH PRESSURE" for a cook time of 30 minutes.
- When cook time ends, allow to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
- First, check the internal temperature of the turkey using a meat thermometer. It should read 165 degrees F.
- Next, remove the turkey and trivet and set on cutting board.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Add to broth and select "SAUTE."
- Add in heavy cream and cook until desired thickness for gravy, whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Slice turkey breast and serve over rosemary sprigs with fresh pomegranate for a beautiful presentation!
Notes
- Start with a thawed turkey breast. I use Jenni-O boneless turkey breast. They usually go on sale in November and I stock up my freezer! Each one is about 3 lbs.
- Sear the turkey to lock in flavor and moisture. While it’s not a mandatory step, I love the extra browned bits added to my gravy too.
- Avoid the Burn. Be sure to scrape the bits of meat stuck in your pot. Not only do the browned bits add flavor to the gravy, but scraping them off the bottom will prevent the “BURN” notice.
- Thicken your gravy by adding the cornstarch, water, and heavy cream while using the “saute” function. Keep whisking until desired thickness, this usually takes a couple minutes.
- Today’s recipe was made in a 6qt Instant Pot. Time to come to pressure was about 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Juicy, flavorful Turkey Breast made in the Instant Pot. Perfect for weeknights or holidays, this Thanksgiving feast is now a year-round dish ready in no time at all.
Waiting for response to cooking time difference between a 3 lb and 4.5 lb boneless turkey breast… thanks!
Sorry! I haven’t tested a larger turkey breast.
Thanks Aimee….You always have the answers…. always have and always will enjoy your new IP recipes. You tock!. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year!
Does cooking time need to be adjusted for bone in turkey? I have a 4.5 lb turkey I want to use.
Can I use regular turkey breast one that isn’t boneless? I guess I did t read the fine details of boneless turkey breast.
Same question as Sandy re: bone in turkey breast!! thanks!
How to print this recipe without 14 pages would be helpful.
I plan to try it for Thanksgiving
Cut and paste what you want.. there’s no reason to print 14 unwanted pages!
The frozen turkey breasts (bone in) were on sale this week at our grocery store for 97 cents a pound. Do you know the length of time I would need to cook a thawed bone-in turkey breast? I would love to do it in the IP instead of the oven like I usually do. Thanks ?
Did anyone hear how long a bone-in turkey breast needs to cook?
We’re not hosting this year but love leftovers so this will be perfect for when we get home. Such an easy recipe, thanks!
This is great for smaller families who love easy Thanksgivings and juicy meant!
I always baked a larger turkey than I needed. I loved a turkey sandwich with lettuce mayo & cranberry sauce. Then it was creamed turkey on toast. And last but not least was a homemade turkey pot pie. I saved my gravy and any extra broth then I cubed potatoes carrots celery & onions. I cooked them in the broth & if needed I added the gravy. Cook until tender then add the turkey and frozen peas. You can top with pie crust or biscuits. I don’t have any amounts to give because I mainly cook by taste. I freeze my leftover turkey so I don’t have to use it all at once.
This is so great. There are times when turkey sounds really good but you don’t want to go to all the trouble of the whole Turkey in the oven. Saving this for laster!
I am SO excited about this recipe!! There are times I’d love to make turkey outside of the holidays but who wants to roast a whole turkey?! Not me. This is the perfect solution in a delicious recipe. Thank you!
Your instructions say to add heavy cream for the gravy but you don’t say how much to add and no cream is listed in the ingredients.
it is at the end of the recipe
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cold water
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream